Chapter 2.4

How To Buy Bitcoin Using Credit Card and Debit Card?

Credit Cards and Debit Cards are the most frequently used methods of payment in the modern world.

Why Most Exchanges Do Not Support Credit Cards?

The biggest problem that traders and exchanges used to face (and still face) with selling Bitcoins from Credit Card payments is of chargeback. If you have read our chapter dealing with How to Buy Bitcoins using PayPal, the problem is the same one.

The thing with Bitcoin transactions is that they cannot be traced. There is no ‘proof’ of a party receiving Bitcoin payments. Since there is no proof, in the eyes of the law and banking firms, chargebacks can be issued. Some users tend to take advantage of this and claim they did not receive the Bitcoins they paid for. Hence, they get to keep their Bitcoins as well as their money - this is why most exchanges do not support Credit Cards or Debit Cards.

However, this is a problem which was persistent in the early days of the Bitcoin technology. In 2017 it has become easier than ever before to buy Bitcoins using Credit Cards and Debit Cards. Let us now take a look at some exchanges that support buying Bitcoin using Credit Cards and Debit Cards:

How to Buy Bitcoins Using Debit/Credit Cards?

Here’s a list of exchanges which support buying Bitcoins using Debit Cards and Credit Cards. To make it easier for you to compare them, we also indicate the fees they charge, as well as the daily transaction limits.

Coinbase:

Coinbase is one of the oldest and most trustworthy names when it comes to Bitcoin exchanges. Coinbase charges a 3.75% fee on transactions over Credit Cards and Debit Cards. However, if you are buying Bitcoins of over $100 you’d get an additional $10 worth of Bitcoins for free.

Here’s how to buy Bitcoins using Credit Cards or Debit Cards on Coinbase:

Register an account on Coibase

Navigate to Settings > Payment Methods > Add Payment Method.

Select Credit/Debit Card over there.

Enter your card details there - only Visa and MasterCard cards are accepted.

To buy Bitcoins, navigate to the Buy/Sell section

It is worth noting that purchases made via Debit Card come with a 0% transaction fee. The 3.75% fee is applicable only to Credit Card purchases.

Coinmama:

Another popular Bitcoin Exchange, Coinmama has been around for a long time. It is particularly known for its support for Credit Cards. Coinmama has been supporting Credit Card purchases of Bitcoins since a long time. Unverified accounts can buy Bitcoins worth $150 from Coinmama and verified users can buy $5000 worth of bitcoins daily (up to $20,000 per month). However, the fees that it charges are quite high!

CEX.IO:

CEX is another popular Bitcoin exchange. It is still popularly known for being one of the most legit cloud mining providers - in an industry where a massive majority of these companies are fraudulent, CEX stood out for its work ethics and timely payments. CEX is a popular name when it comes to buying Bitcoins using Credit Cards and Debit Cards.

Simply open an account on CEX.IO, Navigate to the wallet and click on ‘Fund’. You would be able to add money to the wallet using your Credit Card with ease. You can also withdraw the balance directly to your card. Moreover, deposits and withdrawals are quite fast too.

Bitstamp:

Around the markets since 2011, BitStamp is acknowledged as the oldest Bitcoin exchange. However for a majority of it’s run Bitstamp did not support buying Bitcoins via Credit Cards. Credit Card support has come to the exchange recently and it is a welcome change. While BitStamp is a global exchange, it only supports Credit Cards from users from the US and Europe.

The verification process of BitStamp is a little slow and might take some time. If you are planning to make use of BitStamp as your preferred exchange, make sure you have enough funds in your account all the time.

VirWoX:

If you have read our chapter on how to buy Bitcoins via PayPal, you’d know the importance of VirWoX. It isn’t a Bitcoin Exchange per say, but it does offer Bitcoins to users in exchange for Second Life Lindens (SLLs). It allows you to directly buy Lindens via Cards, or buy them via PayPal too.

However, one of the biggest drawbacks of this exchange is that there might be a delay of as many as 48 hours between trading SLLs for Bitcoins. Do not panic, it can take some time, especially if it’s a high-value transaction as VirWoX wants to ensure the transfer takes place safely. After you’ve traded your Lindens for Bitcoins, you’d be able to send them to your main Bitcoin Exchange.

Bitcoin.com:

Bitcoin.com is one of the most popular websites for anyone looking forward to reading up on Bitcoins or gain basic information. While it isn’t the most popular trading destination, some people prefer using it as it feels more legit and authentic to buy Bitcoins from here. The bitcoin.com website does support credit cards but is one of the least preferred options for most traders.

However, the website comes with a complex fee structure. It charges a flat 5% Credit Card transaction fee and an additional fee of 2.5% as ‘service fee’. What makes this even more inconvenient is that the website charges an exchange rate of 1.5% more than most popular exchanges. You’d be extremely lucky if you get any customer support here at all!

Conclusion

While the situation is much better than it used to be, buying Bitcoins using Credit Cards and Debit Cards is still a painful procedure primarily because of two reasons -

High transactional fees - The transactional fees are much higher compared to other payment methods.

Buying limits - depending upon what exchange you’re using, there will be different buying limits which restrict you to a certain amount per day. However, this can be circumvented by using multiple exchanges.

Other than that it has become quite convenient these days to buy Bitcoins using Credit Cards and Debit Cards.

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